Abscond
by Philtrum
Summary: Dominic, Brian, and Letty find themselves in Mexico, butting heads with a local crime lord. With the rest of the team a world away, it's left up to them to get out of the employment of one Santiago Reyes; dead or alive.  Eventual Dom/Bri
1. Prologue: Get In

**Title**: Abscond

**Chapter**: Prologue – Get In

**Rating**: T for now.

**Pairings**: Dominic/Brian

**Warnings**: Eventual slash, strong language, adult themes, violence, etc...

****Disclaimer****: I don't own much of anything. As usual, if I did own this particular fandom there would be lots more boy on boy action.

* * *

><p>"<em>I owe you a ten second car."<em>

* * *

><p>Brian pulled Dominic from the wreckage of the Charger and silently acknowledged the sudden intrusion of police sirens growing progressively louder in the distance. He could actually hear them getting closer, and as he cataloged Toretto's injuries the sound made his throat constrict. Dominic carefully pressed one hand over the dislocated joint of his left shoulder, swaying as he exhaled in pain. Brian had trouble spotting discomfort on the man's face, if only for the other emotions—fear, rage, dread—that were skillfully layered over it. Above all else he could see a thick coating of determination that amalgamated the other feelings into a ticking time bomb, prepared to lash out like a cornered animal at a moment's notice. Brian could almost see Dominic readying himself for an unfair fight. He had no problem believing Dom would die before he ever went back to prison. That was something Brian was willing to avoid at all costs.<p>

It went against everything he knew to sympathize with a criminal. Despite his best attempts at overlooking the small detail of Dominic's exploits, he was brought face to face with the cold hard truth in the middle of that deserted street. The man he had come to think of as a friend, against the warnings of those who had, at one point, cared about him, was standing beside him in obvious need of assistance. Brian wasn't sure he could be the one to give it. He caught Dominic's gaze as his self-preservation waged war on this newfound protectiveness he felt for Toretto. Until he was handing the man his keys, he wasn't entirely sure himself which side had won the battle.

"What are you doing?" Dom asked, shaking his head even as he reached for the keys.

Brian tried to keep the indecision out of his voice, more for his own sake than Toretto's. "I owe you a ten second car."

In the silence that followed even the sirens seemed to fade seamlessly into the ambient noise. Brian inadvertently held his breath, waiting for Dom to say or do something. When, finally, the man nodded, he felt the air escape from his lungs. He didn't know what he had been expecting, or what he had even hoped for, but that wasn't it. As Dominic turned to walk away Brian twisted his body in the opposite direction and stared across at the asphalt horizon. The sirens were much closer.

"And you're just going to take the fall for this?"

Brian turned around as the low, skeptical tone reached him. He looked to Dom who was positioned half way between the Charger and the Supra. _Just_, Brian repeated to himself. Yes, he was _just_ going to take the fall for this. He would _just_ throw away his career for some lowlife scum like Dominic Toretto. He would _just_ let the FBI haul him off to prison for aiding and abetting and whatever other crimes they managed to pin on him. Voluntary manslaughter even, what with Johnny Tran bleeding out somewhere in the street. Without the LAPD on his side—like Hell they would be if he let Toretto walk—there was no one to back up his claims. If he brought Dominic in, then everything having to do with the case, every crime he had committed in the name of bringing Toretto down would disappear. Without the arrest he was screwed, and he knew it, but none of that mattered.

"Leave before I change my mind," he muttered. His voice was just loud enough to carry across to Toretto. "They're almost here."

Dominic, nursing his wounded shoulder, staggered back towards Brian. "I don't like to owe people, Spil—" The name cut off half way into the air and Dom grimaced. "O'Conner," he amended. "If you stay here, they'll take you down. We both know that."

"And if _you_ stay here they'll take us both down!" Brian shouted finally. He didn't want to have a pissing match with Dominic about who was the bigger man; who would stay behind and take the fall while the other ran like a pussy. Especially not with half of the LAPD closing in on them from all sides. "Go, Toretto. Now!"

He spun around as the last word exploded past his lips and found himself face to face with Dominic. It took everything he had in him to keep from drawing back in fear. He had seen the look that Dominic vindictively presented him with only twice before. Once, when Johnny Tran accused him of being a narc, and once the first time he realized Brian was a cop. It was not an expression anyone would ever want to see on the face of Dominic Toretto.

"I don't care if your name is Spilner or O'Conner. I did_ not _recruit an idiot with a hero complex onto my team. " Dom buried the fingers of his right hand in the fabric of Brian's shirt, tugging him closer. "And in case you haven't noticed, _O'Conner_, I'm the one with the fucking keys. The only one that needs saving around here is you, and I'm starting to think it's from yourself. Now get in the goddamn car."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Oh, I like this version much more. Onwards to chapter one.


	2. Chapter One: Mexico

**Title**: Abscond

**Chapter**: Chapter One - Mexico

**Rating**: T for now.

**Pairings**: Dom/Bri

**Warnings**: Eventual slash, strong language, adult themes, violence, etc...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything. I promise.

* * *

><p>"<em>Now get in the goddamn car."<br>_

* * *

><p>Brian related the way Dominic paced the room to the way a lion might stalk the length of its cage. He appeared dangerously riled as the four containing walls made him zigzag across the small portion of open floor. Injured still, his left arm hung uselessly at his side. Every so often he would turn too quickly or jerk in a way that did not agree with his dislocated shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth as the pain burst to flames from the smoldering ashes of the original impact. Brian tried not to find amusement in the slur of expletives that generally followed.<p>

The motel room they had procured for the night was cramped to say the least. It held the damp evening heat like a sauna, drenching both men in sweat. There was only one bed, a queen-sized mattress that barely held its shape under the weight of the bedding, positioned in the middle of the far wall. It faced the door, which was little more than a thick slab of wood angled against the doorjamb to give a false sense of security. Merely opening it caused the metal hinges to threaten to fall. If either of them had actually planned to sleep that night they might have chosen a better location, but that didn't appear to be an option just yet.

Instead, they found themselves waiting. Vince, Leon, and Letty were supposed to meet them in Tecate, according to a message Dominic passed onto them through Mia. In San Diego he and Brian had stopped off to fill the tank of an '86 Camaro they had commandeered, during which Dom acquired a disposable cell phone. Among the plenty of other calls Dominic had made—mostly in Spanish, leaving Brian to wonder what words were exchanged—he had phoned Mia. She wasn't at all happy with being ordered to stay behind. Brian could hear her screaming through the phone at her big brother, and Dominic had been nice enough to let her. He casually left out telling her that Brian was along for the ride. Eventually she agreed to call Letty, who was at the hospital with Vince. She told Dom that Leon had come and gone, staying just long enough to find out that Jesse was dead. The FBI hadn't moved on the rest of the team by the time of said phone call, but that had been hours ago. It seemed like decades.

He shook his head and let the thought fall away. Dwelling on the negatives of the situation would put him right up there with Dom, whose nerves had been dipped in kerosene and were being held over an open flame. He figured only one of them could afford to be so frazzled. Brian slid to the edge of the queen-sized bed, trying not to grimace as the dirt encrusted comforter scraped along his skin.

"We need to do something about your shoulder," he said finally, searching for something to occupy the time. When Dominic didn't respond, Brian got to his feet. "The longer you wait the worse it will hurt."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, you look it."

"Fuck off."

Brian's previous attempts at conversation had ended similarly. He tried to ignore it, attributing Dom's anger to the obvious pain he was in. The last thing he wanted was to upset the man any more than he already was. Brian fell back onto the bed with a barely audible thump and pushed a hand through his hair.

He needed a shower, sleep, and food. None of which he was prepared to get until he knew Dominic would be okay. He was hardly Brian's responsibility, but it was no longer the spontaneous urge to protect Dom that fueled his actions. Being that it was his fault they were in the mess that they were, he almost felt a moral obligation to make sure they got through it unscathed. In other words, he felt guilty. It was an off putting notion, one that he didn't particularly care to address. He had spent the day rolling with various kicks and punches, both literal and metaphorical, and he was prepared to continue the act of coping for as long as Dominic needed him to.

Another hour or so passed before the circumstances changed any. Brian was roused from a daze by the sound of an engine revving. He sat up as Dom all but ripped the doorknob out of the door, rushing out into the parking lot. Brian was quick to follow him out. Relief flooded through both of them as they caught sight of Letty's car. For Brian, however, the concern was quick to rally itself. She was alone.

Dominic closed the distance between them and carefully wrapped both his arms around her waist. Brian looked away as she relaxed into the embrace. _Good, _he thought, _maybe now he'll let me fix his fucking arm_.

"The hospital—is Vince okay?"

Letty planted her hands on the mattress behind her, leaning back to alleviate the pain from a two inch gash across her abdomen. "He was fine the last time I saw him," she said. Her head swiveled as she tracked Dominic's restless movements across the room. "When I told him what was going on he told me to go, said he'd get out as soon as he could."

"Have you talked to Leon?"

"Not since we split up." She tilted her head, pushing out her foot to stop Dom's pacing. "Heard about Jesse though. What happened?"

Dominic didn't answer, deftly overstepping her foot. He rubbed at his left shoulder with a soft groan.

From the corner, Brian pushed off the wall. "Johnny Tran did a drive by. Jesse got caught in the crossfire."

"He was the fucking target," Dom spat.

Brian lifted and dropped one shoulder, making a show of his indifference. He deliberately stepped in Dominic's path and raised an eyebrow at the man. "Where do we go from here?"

A few feet away on the bed, Letty hissed as she sprawled out backwards. The movement tugged at the edges of her wounds, causing fresh blood to trickle forth. Brian kept his eyes locked on Dominic's face, waiting for an answer.

Dom snapped. "You think I fucking know? I didn't realize you would sell us out to the FBI. Excuse me for not planning ahead. You don't like it, go crawl back to the cops. I'm sure they'll take you back if you ask real nicely."

"Fuck you, Dom. You're the one who told me to come."

"I should have left you back there to rot, O'Conner. Let you see what those bastards you betrayed your family for are really like!"

Brian choked back any retort that may have come to mind. He pushed past Dominic to the bed where he splayed out next to Letty. "I'm sorry," he muttered into the air; his eyes focused on the ceiling. "I didn't realize—"

"Everybody has a family Brian." Letty's voice tumbled down to him from a few inches above his ear. She nudged his thigh with her knee. "Just because you saw ours doesn't mean we aren't criminals. We don't want your sympathy or your guilt."

"I'm sorry that I lied to you."

She snorted, pushing herself up on weak arms. "Well, you can spend the rest of your life making it up to us."

Brian twisted his head around, catching her gaze as she stared down at him. He thought perhaps she was actually on his side. It was a good feeling.

"Where _do _we go from here, Dom?" Letty looked for Toretto in the shadowed half of the room.

He was sitting, finally, in a small wooden chair next to a hideous, stained wood dresser. Even through the dim lighting Brian could see Dom thinking.

"We need money," he said. He raised his eyes briefly, glancing over Brian to Letty. "Cars too."

"We have a few contacts here. I'm sure we could pull something off."

Brian sat up for a better vantage point on the two. "What about Vince and Leon?"

"Leon isn't coming. Not after what happened with Jesse. Not until the kid gets a proper burial." Dominic winced as he spoke, reaching across to support his left elbow. "If he wants to, Vince will find us eventually."

"So, just us then," Brian surmised.

Letty smirked at him. "You scared, _cop_?" The word popped from her mouth with a vengeance.

He huffed. "I'm not a cop anymore. Thanks to you I'm a fugitive."

"Welcome to the family, buster." Dom spoke up. He glared at Brian and maneuvered his injured arm into a better position. "Now come help me fix this."

Letty carefully rubbed and prodded Dominic's shoulder, lightening her touch whenever he twitched or hissed. Brian was inside getting some much needed rest. She wouldn't be surprised if Dominic never slept again, what with the constant threat of prison now hanging over their heads.

"You think it was a good idea to bring him?" she asked honestly. Her hands traveled up the curve of Dom's neck as she spoke.

"He reminds me of Jess."

She rolled her eyes at the brisk tone he had taken to using whenever they spoke about O'Conner. "How so?"

"He's just a kid."

"He's a cop, Dom."

"He _was_ a cop."

"Right." Letty conceded, feeling the tension knot beneath her hands. "And how do you think an ex-cop is going to cope with becoming a criminal?"

"I don't know, but he doesn't have much of a choice, does he?" Dom snapped.

"Alright." Letty pressed her lips to the shell of Dominic's ear. "I think he's good for you, Dom. You need somebody to challenge you."

"You challenge me every day."

"But you might actually listen to him."

Dominic reached behind him, grabbing her hand to lead her around the bench. He pulled her down onto his lap, and her knees settled naturally on either side. "What contacts do we have in Mexico?"

She averted her eyes with a smirk, resting her arms around his neck. "I was thinking... Tego?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Enough boring stuff. I want action! Next chapter, I promise. Slow start is slow, but I couldn't avoid this stupid chapter. Apologies.


End file.
